The average temperature in Denver was 3.8°F above average in 2006, according to a new report released yesterday by Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center. Environment Colorado suggests that this warmer-than-normal weather is indicative of what Colorado can expect with continued global warming.
 To examine recent temperature patterns in the United States, Environment Colorado compared temperature data for the years 2000-2006 from 255 weather stations located in all 50 states and Washington, DC with temperatures averaged over the 30 years spanning 1971-2000, or what scientists call the “normal” temperature.
Key findings for Colorado include:
- Over the course of 2006, Grand Junction experienced 75 days where the temperature hit at least 90°F, 11 days more than the historical average.
- Colorado Springs experienced average minimum temperatures—the lowest temperatures recorded on a given day, usually at night—of 2.4°F above normal in 2006 and 3.9°F above normal during the 2006 summer. Warmer nighttime temperatures exacerbate the public health effects of heat waves, since people need cooler nighttime temperatures to recover from excessive heat exposure during the day.
- In 2006, the average temperature was 2.6°F above normal in Pueblo and Alamosa.
- Nationally, the average 2006 temperature was at least 0.5°F above normal at 87% of the locations studied.
In April 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that North America could experience significant water stress, forest fires, and “an increased number, intensity, and duration of heat waves” as temperatures continue to rise.
“Scientists are sounding alarm bells about the impacts of continued global warming,” Meghan McCloskey, Global Warming Fellow of Environment Colorado. “The good news is that those same scientists say we can avoid the worst effects of global warming by taking bold action now to reduce global warming pollution. The better news is that we have the technology at our fingertips to cut global warming pollution and forge a cleaner, more secure energy future."
The United States could substantially reduce its global warming pollution by using existing technologies to make power plants, businesses, homes, and cars more efficient and generate more electricity from clean, renewable sources, such as wind and solar power.
Colorado is poised to consider global warming legislation this summer.
“The heat is on Colorado decision makers to take decisive action to curb global warming,” stated McCloskey. “Environment Colorado urges Governor Ritter and the Colorado legislature to follow other states by setting strong global warming pollution reduction goals, curbing pollution from coal burning power plants, and adopting the Clean Cars Program,” concluded McCloskey.
Environment Colorado Research and Policy Center is a Colorado-based environmental advocacy organization with over 30,000 members statewide. For more information, visit EnvironmentColorado.org |